Journey to Babel redux
by Flowers47
Summary: Ambassador Sarek and Lady Amanda come on board the Enterprise for a diplomatic function, and trouble immediately starts. Kirk tries not to go crazy, Bones tries not to stab anybody, and Spock and Uhura try to keep their relationship a secret from his parents. Meanwhile, Amanda forces a reconciliation between her stubborn husband and her even more stubborn son.
1. In Which A Family Comes Aboard

His uniform is itchy, but Jim Kirk is pretty sure that he's a lot more comfortable right now than his First Officer. Then again, Jim isn't currently supporting the full weight of a near-hysterical Human woman like Spock is, and he's pretty sure that that is the main reason why the Vulcan is making the non-expression that actually means Why Must Humans Be So Overtly Emotional in My Presence.

It's a face that Spock makes a lot.

"Mother," Spock requests politely, "Please attempt to control yourself. The Captain needs to introduce the Bridge Crew as per protocol." Amanda Grayson nods into his chest and, with a final sniffle, straightens up and brushes the wrinkles out of her son's dress shirt, "Sorry darling".

Kirk has all of three seconds to absorb that Spock's mother apparently calls him "darling" before she is turning to face him and the rest of the slightly shocked senior officers where they are lined up in the transporter room. They had all assembled as diplomacy required to receive Ambassador Sarek and Lady Amanda, but the also-customary introductions had been cut short when, as soon as she fully materialized, the Ambassador's wife threw herself on her son and began to cry. Kirk wasn't particularly surprised with the turn of events; ever since Vulcan's destruction five months prior things had been pretty tense all over the Federation. Lady Amanda was probably under a lot of stress, especially since she and Sarek had been given the daunting task of organizing the colony on New Vulcan until a High Council could be assembled. Kirk guessed that she hadn't had a lot of time to catch up with Spock lately, and word of that whole Khan thing had circulated even to the farthest reaches of Federation Space. She was probably worried about him nearly dying. Several times. Or something. Whatever.

Stepping forward and attempting that Vulcan finger thing (probably butchering it, if the look on Bones's face is anything to go by), Kirk gestures down the line and says,

"Ambassador, Lady Amanda, may I present the Enterprise's Chief of Medical, Doctor McCoy-" Bones gives a little Southern bow to Sarek and kisses Amanda's hand, "Chief of Engineering, Mr. Scott, our helmsman Lieutenant Sulu, navigator Ensign Chekov- " The kid looks like he's going to shit himself with excitement, "and Chief of Communications Lieutenant Uhura." Uhura makes a perfect ta'al and says something in perfect Vulcan that's probably culturally perfect. That show-off. Sarek and Amanda nod politely at each member of the crew as he introduces them, and already Amanda seems to have fully composed herself. He supposes that that comes from living with a people that consider the tiniest scream of pain when you are mortally wounded the height of impoliteness. At least, that's the impression Spock gives off.

"And I believe that you've met our First Officer," he adds, for a touch of humor. Amanda laughs obligingly, and Jim thinks he can see why she's considered such a good diplomat. The ability to laugh at bad jokes is a vital one in politics. Just then, the wall intercom beeps.

"Kirk here"

"You and Dr. McCoy are needed in Medical, sir," comes the voice of the officer he left with the com, "There's an issue with the Tellarite Ambassador's daughter, and Nurse Chapel is threatening to stab her with a hypo."

"Great," Kirk sighs, "Not again. We'll be right there." He turns to the Vulcan Ambassador, "I'm sorry to have to run off, but the doctor and I are needed. Lieutenant Uhura will escort you to your quarters. I will see you at the scheduled dinner?" Sarek nods, and speaks for the first time in a voice that is eerily similar to Spock's, "That is agreeable, Captain. Thank you."

It's only as he descends in the turbolift with McCoy that Kirk realizes that for all of his wife's dramatics, Ambassador Sarek didn't acknowledge his son once.


	2. In Which Things Begin to Sour

A/N In case it wasn't clear, this is based off of my absolute favorite TOS episode, Journey to Babel. Things take place after the events of Into Darkness, but tat movie won't feature heavily. Amanda is still living, becaus eI love her character, and she seems like too much of a badass to die. I am aware of some inconsistencies and have chosen to use my artistic license to ignore them. I ask for a similar suspension of disbelief from you. Thank you for your support, I'm looking forward to finally getting to share this with you.

Uhura is having the time of her life. After months of being sent on various boring errands that were supposed to "test the flagship's eager new crew"- admiral code for "give these green kids something easy to do until we can get the Enterprise back to the big boys without losing face "- they had finally been given a real assignment. And was it the mother of all assignments! They were tasked with collecting various diplomats from their respective planets and bringing them back to Terra for the biggest interplanetary event of the year- the Annual United Federation of Planets Conference. It was communications heaven. In the past week she had gotten to speak five languages that she hadn't used in over a month, two that she hadn't used in a year (but luckily kept up-to-date on), and learned no less than 46 new words! Nyota knew that she was a little overenthusiastic about the whole thing, but she just couldn't help it. Everything was just so interesting! She spent nearly the entire lunch break raving about the intricacies of the fourth tense of the Deltoid language before she realized that Spock was doing that smirky-eyebrow thing at her. It was amazing how he was able to tease her without using any words at all. She had to kiss him to make him stop it, and then they really did use up the entire lunch shift.

Speaking of Spock, she was currently guiding his parents to their stateroom while giving a brief tour, as she did with all of the other ambassadors.

"This is the Beta deck, where all of the envoys are staying. You'll find the bridge two levels up, with the Alpha level of officer's quarters just below it. Medical is on Delta. Dinner tonight will be held at 1930 hours in Captain Kirk's rooms. His are all the way at the end of the hall on the left," she narrates in Vulcan. It was custom for the Captain to host a small dinner whenever new diplomats came aboard. It made them feel special, and gave Jim a chance to start charming the pants off them. Sometimes literally, although thankfully it hadn't gone that far lately.

She punches in the pre-set code to open the door and turns to quietly face the two people she has been leading. She knows that any commentary beyond this point is unnecessary, and would be considered illogical. If they need anything more, they will ask her. As she expects, Sarek just thanks her and enters the room with a final flash the ta'al. Amanda, however, lingers for a moment with an odd smile.

"Can I help you with something else?" the Lieutenant asks in Standard.

"No, no," Amanda replies, still smiling with that quizzical look. "It's nothing. Thank you for your help." And she follows her husband into their quarters.

Spock is not looking forward to the welcome dinner. He's with Jim now, supervising the set-up as usual, but unlike all the other times they have received the new diplomats, he can't help but wish that the dinner could be delayed indefinitely. It is an illogical desire, as it will do nothing to stop the progression of events, but it exists nevertheless. He will have to attempt to suppress it more firmly.

The Captain is speaking, "So, dinner with the 'rents, huh? This should be fun. You know, I've always wondered how that whole mom-being-Human thing works." Spock turns to face his friend impassively, and Jim seems to realize the implication of his last statement, "I mean, not like how it _works_, ew. Although, you and Uhura seem to work it out…." Spock raises an eyebrow, but says nothing, "Sorry, sorry. I'll stop." There is a pause in the conversation and then, "You and Uhura though…stop looking at me like that, I wasn't going to go there! I just meant…do your parents know?" He turns away from the table where a yeoman is still laying plates and looks at his first officer and, quite possibly, best friend. "When they beamed up, they didn't seem particularly excited to meet her or anything. I can understand that coming from your dad, but the Lady Amanda seems like a very….exuberant woman. I guess I thought she'd be more into the whole thing."

"The Ambassador and his wife are not aware of the relationship between Nyota and myself." It is an uncomfortable situation, and Spock pauses briefly before continuing, "Due to the nature of the start of our interactions, I did not see fit to inform them until after Nyota's graduation. Additionally, although I declined to join the colony on New Vulcan in favor of remaining in Starfleet, I believe that my father still expects me to assist in the reestablishment of our species."  
"Ooh, that's awkward. So your parents never knew about your girl 'cause you guys hooked up when she was still a student, and now your dad expects you to get it on with some Vulcan woman?"

"That is, although more crude than I would have explained it, the essence of the situation."

"Good luck with that one, Spock. You're going to need it to get out of this mess." The Captain slaps Spock on the shoulder in a friendly gesture that Spock had often seen exhibited between male members of the crew. It seemed to denote some sort of camaraderie, although he was uncertain as to the specifics. The door slides open to admit Dr. McCoy and Ensign Chekov, and the yeoman passes by them to exit, her large earflaps waving gently.

"When are we gonna get this show on the road, Jim?"

"The others should be here any moment. Remember Bones, if you be good and do the song and dance tonight, you can go back to your room afterwards and have as much scotch as you want. This is our last one of these things before arriving back on Earth."

"Yeah, and then we get to be passed around at Starfleet parties like the show ponies that we are. You know that the Conference comes with plenty of opportunities for the Admiralty to schmooze, and they'd sell us to the highest bidder if it meant they could get somebody to sign a treaty. We'll be trapped in those god-awful dress uniforms for weeks," he huffs

"I like parties," Chekov comments timidly.

"That's 'cause you're twelve, kid, and you haven't lived through a lifetime of the things yet." They are interrupted by the buzz of the door.

"That is most probably the Ambassador, Captain." Spock comments mildly. Kirk gives the command to open the door, and, sure enough, Sarek and Amanda stand waiting. They all make their way to the table with some small talk, and arrange themselves around the large circle. One chair still stands empty.

"It seems that our Lieutenant Uhura is running late. Let's begin without her, shall we? I'm sure she'll arrive soon," Kirk comments with a sideways glance at Spock, who is sitting to his right. Spock raises his eyebrows as if to say, "Don't look at me", but quickly turns back to his plate when he notices Amanda watching the exchange with eagle's eyes.

They finish the soup by the time Uhura shows up, out of breath and with her ponytail slid approximately 2.3 inches to the right, by Spock's estimation.

"I am so sorry Captain, Ambassador." She pants, "I was stopped by the ambassador from Tellar Prime in the hall, and he would just not stop talking! He was apologizing for his daughter's behavior yesterday over and over. Anyway, he somehow got it into his head that for Starfleet to fully forgive him he had to make some grand show of forgiveness, so he asked for my hand in marriage! Then, after I turned him down, he began arguing with me about it! "

"I'll have to have a word with him about propositioning our crew members, " Kirk interjects, "No offense Uhura, but you're the third person he's asked to marry him in the last week."

"Ah, the Tellarites. Such a friendly species." Amanda laughs.

"The Tellar Ambassador's behavior is illogical," Notes her husband, "Clearly none aboard this ship desire him as a mate, and neither does Starfleet require the demonstration of which he speaks. It is possible that he makes these proposals simply to start an argument with the would-be bride."

"That's very true, Ambassador Sarek," Uhura says. They resume dinner, and eventually the conversation circles around to the attempts to reestablish the Vulcan Science Academy.

Things begin to go sideways.

"They will have to be much less selective now," Sarek says, "With so few applicants, it may become necessary to even request the attendance of certain individuals" He slides his eyes over to Spock, and Jim feels a shift in the air. "You would do well, Commander, to consider it again."

"I have committed myself to service with the Federation, Ambassador," Spock replies coolly, and very formally, "And I have no intention of cutting that service short." There is an awkward pause.

"Besides," Amanda says, her voice falsely bright, "Spock is doing so well here. First Officer of the flagship, with plenty of opportunities for research. Perhaps even more opportunities than would be available to him on New Vulcan." Her smile is tight, and Kirk gets the impression that this is a conversation that has been had before.

"The VSA is renown for the access to unusual research tools that it provides," Sarek calmly replies. Jim looks around with growing panic at the other dinner companions, all of whom are staring steadfastly at the meal, refusing to acknowledge the argument that is about to break out. Sarek continues, "If the Commander had opted for the Academy instead of a career in Starfleet-"

"If Spock had chosen the VSA he would have been on Vulcan when Nero came and our son would be dead!" Amanda slams her fork down hard, "And so would we. What's done is done, Sarek. It is _illogical_-" she spits the word out like the insult it is intended to be, " to linger over choices past. And why you can't accept the choices that Spock has made for himself I just cannot…"

"Mother." Spock speaks quietly, still looking down. Across the table, Sarek has adopted a similar posture. Jim reflects on how, during this moment of intense conflict between the two men, they look so very much alike.

"Well." Amanda rises, "Now I've ruined a perfectly nice meal. Thank you very much, Captain Kirk, but I think I should probably return to my quarters now. Excuse me." She turns and Spock rises too.

"I will see you out, Mother." He walks to her side softly in that graceful noiseless way of his, looking for all the world like a small child who knew that he had disappointed someone that he loved. Jim thinks he could see this moment playing out time and time again in Spock's youth, and has a pang of sadness and sympathy for his friend. As they leave, the Vulcan turns back over one shoulder.

"Good night, Captain. Doctor, Ensign. Lieutenant." And the door slides shut behind him.


	3. In Which An Inquisition Begins

It's late, and most of the crew has gone to bed. The corridor that they're walking down is almost completely empty, with the soft sound of the turbolift whooshing up and down echoing through the walls. They get all the way to his mother's door without speaking and for a minute Spock thinks that maybe they won't have to talk about what happened. But Amanda turns to him and says, "Why don't you come in for a cup of tea?" And he knows they're going to have this conversation. The settle themselves on the standard-issue couch, an exact replica of which sits in Spock's quarters, and Amanda pours out the tea. It's the good kind, made from real tea bags, not replicated ones.

"I'm sorry, Spock."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Mother. Everything that you stated was true."

"I know, but I'm sorry for saying it like that," she sighs, "I'm sorry for arguing with your father like that in front of your crew. I just don't understand why Sarek can't support you! Look at everything Starfleet has done for you, and that you've done for it."

Spock doesn't know what to say, so he says nothing.

"Let's talk of happier things," his mother eventually proposes and some of the tension eases out of her, "Tell me about…Lieutenant Uhura." She looks at him with laughing, narrowed eyes, and Spock experiences something, that, if he was Human (which he most definitely is not, thank you very much) might be called fear. His mother was a notoriously observant woman. She had the habit of reasoning out people's secrets while putting them at ease by pretending to be an older, softer version of herself. Letting your guard down for an instant could mean discovery, something that every envoy she had ever negotiated with soon found out- as well as Spock when he was a child. Many an attempt to sneak his sehlat into his bed at night had been foiled by the very same look that she was giving him now.

"Please clarify."

"Well, I noticed that her accent was a bit unusual for someone not born to Vulcan parents…close to perfect, I'd say. And such a specific regional dialect…" she smirks at him over her sip of tea.

"If you are attempting to insinuate that the Lieutenant speaks Vulcan in a style similar to that of our own province, you would be correct. I believe it was accidentally transferred to her during the course of her teaching. As to her remarkable fluency, she is a very hard worker." His mother raises an eyebrow, another skill she had picked up on Spock's homeworld. He adds, "Her skill is befitting of the Head of Communications on a very important starship."

"You said she learned the accent from her teacher. Who was her primary educator, Spock, do tell." She makes a face that Spock believes is supposed to convey innocence, despite the fact that she clearly knows the answer to her question already. How illogical.

"I was, mother. For two out of the Lieutenant's four years at the Academy. The other two she spent as my teaching aide."

"Oh, you don't say! How…fascinating."

"I do not understand the nature of your comments."

"I just thought how interesting it is that all of your students picked up your dialect, is all. I would think that that would create some unevenness in the standard of Vulcan being learnt."

Silence.

"Or…was it just Uhura that ended up with your accent? I wonder how that happened…perhaps you two spent a lot of time together?"

Spock is uneasy and decides to make his escape, "As I previously stated, she was my aide for half of her time at the Academy. It is logical that an instructor and aide would spend considerable amount of time in one another's presence in the course of their work. If that is all, mother, I must return to my quarters. I am on duty tomorrow."

Amanda, thankfully, lets it go, "Of course, sweetheart. Have a good night."

Nyota heads back to Spock's room after the dinner concludes. She wasn't technically registered to be there, but she had been living with Spock for a month now in every way but what the computer actually said. Jim had wisely decided to overlook the lack of an official file to move rooms, and most of the crew knew about their living situation at this point. There were no strange looks from the others when she went into his door instead of her own.

Plus, his has so many nice perks! Like this comfy couch she's sitting on. It's a great place to curl up with her PADD and read for a bit, which is exactly what she's decided to do while she waits for him to come home.

She worries about him.

She knows what his father's disapproval does to him; she's seen it first hand. And more, she knows how much he would like to tell his parents about this thing that they have- a desire that is only reinforced every time they are reminded of how much they have to lose. But he just can't admit this human weakness- that he loves her, and does so deeply- to judgmental Sarek.

Her parents already know. She never really _told_ them, per se, but it got to the point where her mother was inviting Spock over for dinner when they next got shoreleave, so Nyota knows that they're aware of the situation, and support her. She was worried about the possible backlash when people found out that they began dating when she was his aide at the Academy, but no one seems to care. McCoy uses the knowledge to tease them, accusing Spock of "robbing the cradle", but none of its malicious.

The doors slide open, and her k'diwa comes in.

"How was your walk with Amanda?" She asks.

"Unsettling," comes the reply.

He sits beside her and she sets the PADD down on the coffee table.

"My mother is a very astute woman," he adds, but then says no more.

"That was some fight at dinner," she's rubbing a slow pattern on his leg, up and down, up and down. She knows he finds the repetition soothing.

"I concur. My mother apologized to me for her behavior."

"It's your father who should be apologizing," she fumes, "He treats you like you're cattle, like your life here is meaningless."

He tilts his head at her, "The Ambassador spoke logically. His points were reasonable and well-supported."

She scoffs, "This isn't an essay contest Spock. The things that he said were rude." He is silent again, and it seems as though the conversation is over. At least, until he can meditate on it some more. She is about to rise and begin dressing for bed when he says, suddenly, "Amanda asked after you."

"Oh?"

"Yes. She commented on your skill and dialect. I told her that the slight accenting is most likely due to my direct association to your learning process, and that the skill is a result of hard work and exceptional talent."

"You said that about me?" she knows that it's all true, she is very talented and hardworking, but it's nice to hear. Uhura uses the momentum from beginning to get up to swing a leg over Spock so that she is straddling him. She takes his face in her hands and begins to kiss a soft line up his jaw. He's still looking thoughtful, not entirely focused on the task at hand. That will have to change.

"Nyota, I believe that my mother has suspicions-" the rest of his sentence is lost in a moan as she licks the gentle curve of his ear, pausing to pay extra attention to the point. His hands are suddenly tight on her hips and he is already gasping. It is _so_ easy to get a Vulcan worked up.

"What were you saying, darling?" Nyota teases. He does not respond, only curls a hand around the back of her neck to pull her back in.

Yep, there are perks to staying in Spock's quarters alright.

A/N Some McCoy shenanigans coming up in the next chapter.


	4. In Which Amanda Makes Friends

A/N I know that this is shorter than you deserve after a longer wait than usual, but I want McCoy's part to be stellar (no pun intended) and I won't have time to get it out until later today. Hang in there for me!

Her lover is already gone when she wakes. This wasn't uncommon; Spock needed less sleep than she did and preferred to spend the time meditating instead. They had established a sort of unspoken routine that had developed into what was now a comfortable pattern. She slips out of their bed and wanders into the bathroom, where she takes care of necessary things, and then starts up a shower. When she emerges feeling refreshed and alert, she can smell the gentle wafts of smoke coming from the flame of Spock's _asenoi. _She peers around the corner of the bedroom door as she pulls up her tights and sure enough, he's there in a corner of the living room, looking for all the world like a statue in his Science blues.

_"A funny sort of statue"_ Nyota thinks with a smile. She amuses herself with the idea of using her _mpenzi_ as an ethnic room decoration as she finishes dressing, pulling her long hair up into its usual ponytail. She looks at it in the mirror, and then decides to curl it into a bun instead. She feels like doing something different today, and hair as long as hers can be considered suggestive in certain cultures. What with all the aliens still aboard, it's probably better to be safe than sorry. She saw the tiny crinkle between Spock's brows yesterday when she retold the story of the Tellarite's proposal and would like to avoid the inconvenience of any more unwanted advances. Uhura zips up her boots and leaves for the mess hall, shutting the door quietly behind her with a final glance at Spock, who hasn't moved since she woke.

The mess hall is about as busy as it always is at 6:30- their passengers are eating separately from the crew for the most part. She gathers her tray and heads over to a table where Sulu and Chekov are already sitting. The kid is munching on some cereal thoughtfully as he peers at some small object that Hikaru is gesturing at. Sliding into the seat, "Mornin' Liuetenant, Ensign," she greets them, each in their native language. "Sulu, what is that thing?"

It's some sort of daisy-like flower in a little clay pot. It almost looks fake- the stem is long and sour apple green, the petals radiating outwards in a perfect circle. She can't see the center of the plant, as it's turned towards the men rather than facing upwards like usual. She reaches out to turn it around but before she can, the head of the flower swivels by itself, revealing a bright yellow….face? The place where pollen would be on a normal daisy has instead a tiny little snout sort of like a dog's and two impressions where eyes might be. The snout opens and the flower snaps at her, two rows of sharp white teeth flashing inside the mouth. Uhura pulls her hand back rapidly.

"This," says Sulu, "Is _Cannis perennis_. Someone important brought it along with them as a gift for somebody else important, and I am having the darndest time keeping it alive." Although he mainly functions as the Alpha Helmsman, Sulu likes to moonlight as the ship's botanist, and is pretty good at it. "There's something about the ship's artificial gravity that it dislikes…I have to carry it around with me because yesterday it strangled three other plants in the lab in what I think was a misguided attempt to tunnel into their stems for extra support. It keeps trying to do it to me. Watch." He puts his finger next to the little flower and, as promised, the dog-face turns, stem undulating slightly until it starts to wind around the offered digit.

"Vere is Meester Spock?" inquires Pavel.

"Probably still meditating," she responds neutrally.

"Yeah, Pavel was telling me about the dinner," Sulu remarks, and he and the officer in question share a meaningful look, "Is everything, you know, okay?"

"Poor Meester Spock. It must be so sad, so so sad to have his mat and pa here with him and then fight. If my mat was here-" Chekov starts.

"Did I here someone say 'poor Spock'? What has my darling boy done now?" They all look up in surprise at Amanda, who is standing next to the table with a tray in her hands, having snuck up as they were examining the flower. "May I sit with you fine young crew members?"

"Of course" Nyota smiles, sliding over to make room on the bench.

"Oh, what a beautiful flower! Now, what were you saying about your mother, Ensign Chekov? She must be a wonderful woman to have raised such a talented son. I'm sure she's very proud of you." Chekov flushes with happy pride, and falls into a detailed description of all the ways that his mother exemplifies the ideal Russian woman. Uhura rolls her eyes lovingly at the exuberance of their young crewmate, but Lady Grayson asks all the right questions to create the feeling that what one is talking about is the most fascinating thing ever, and it's hard to resist her pull. Soon enough, even Nyota is lured in by Amanda's approachability, and she finds herself describing the way the full African moon turns burnt orange with smoke during summer wildfires. She is startled out of her reveries by the Alpha Shift alert tone that comes out of Sulu, Chekov, and her comms simultaneously.

"That's us, Lady Grayson," Sulu says apologetically as they rise, scooping up the dog-flower. It barks and nips at him, which he ignores. "We better head to the bridge before we're late."

"I'll come with you," the older woman says brightly, "I'd like to say hello to your captain again."

They ride up to the bridge in a group, and are still laughing and talking when the doors slide open and they step on. The rest of the bridge crew is already there, including Nyota's _adun_, who is no longer impersonating a pleasant interior decorative item.

"Commander Spock!" Amanda exclaims, "There you are- I've been having such a wonderful conversation this morning. You have charming little friends." She winks at him, and then sails over to the Captain's chair where Jim is slouched, "Captain Kirk! May I just say what a wonderful ship this is…."

Spock raises an eyebrow quizzically at Uhura as she takes her post. She just shrugs and raises an eyebrow back, smiling.


	5. In Which Med Bay Is a Busy Place

A/N Another shortie, but hopefully it delivers!

Doctor McCoy, several decks down, is having a godawful morning. He does not want to know what childhood trauma the daughter of the Tellarite Ambassador suffered, he does not care, but he would like it very much if she would leave his med bay and never return. This is the third time in two weeks that she's been sent down for "acting out". This sort of thing would usually go to Jim, or Uhura, but the Tellarite form of acting out is somewhat unusual, and thus he gets to deal with this crap. Naargala, the girl, snorts various spirits up her nose, where she somehow keeps them until she is feeling sufficiently argumentative, at which point she snorts it back _out_ her little pig nose. And on to any dignitaries within a certain "splash zone".

Not only does this create the potential for a serious interplanetary incident, it is also damn dangerous. At this point McCoy can't decide if he wants to keep Naargala from choking and drowning on the spirits, or for her to actually choke on them so that she finally learns her lesson.

That's not quite true; he knows which one he wants, it just happens to directly contradict his orders.

Len has instructed Chapel to try to reason with the girl. Perhaps a woman's touch is what this case really needs. He knows that the father is raising Naargala alone. When the court awarded the ex-wife primary custody of _his _daughter, they said that having a mother in the scene was especially important when it came to girls, hence his theory about a woman's touch. Nurse Chapel makes somewhat of a dubious mother figure, but he's at his last ropes here and doesn't know what else to do.

Meanwhile, he's trying to set this man's broken leg and boy, are these redshirts wimps. It's just a little compound fracture, shouldn't take more than a day or two to heal with the regenerator, but the dark-haired man will not stop moving around. He's moaning and rolling this way and that- you'd think he'd been poisoned.

"Enough, Ensign…" he glances at the guy's file quickly, "Ensign Jacobs. I have never seen a man with so little backbone. And a security officer at that! You call yourself Starfleet?" he barks. The ensign immediately falls into a terrified silence. McCoy knows that he has that effect on people, and finds it much nicer than all the complaining he gets otherwise. The splint finally takes, and melts into the ensign's skin, where it will mesh with the bone until it has been fully regrown, at which point it will dissolve harmlessly into the blood stream.

"You're free to go, Jacobs." The good doctor hands him some pills in a little bottle, "These will help you sleep, but these are all you're getting, so don't come cryin' to me if you use 'em all up. And mind that you're a little more careful next time, Ensign. Don't want any more falls like this one."

The ensign, who had accepted the pills with a grateful nod and was sitting on the edge of the biobed, turns to face Leonard.

"I didn't fall."

"No need to be embarrassed- I'm a doctor. I've seen it all."

"No, I didn't fall. I didn't!" Jacobs' voice rises, and his eyes widen with earnestness….or hysteria, "I didn't fall. She did this to me. I told her no, told her I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't betray the captain like that. So she did this!"

The scanners began to beep rapidly, and McCoy rushes to the display.

"Woah, kid, calm down. Your heart rate is spiking like mad. Can I get a cold compress over here, Nurse, and 30 cc's of sedative!" He looks up at the security officer. Jacob's eyes had glazed over and he becomes pale, muttering fiercely under his breath. Len rushes to his side.

"What is this? Some sort of infection…that would explain the fever…exposure when the fracture opened…lay back, man, goddammit! Nurse!" An attendant rushes up and begins swabbing the ensign's forehead with cold water. Another two nurses are called over and begin to assist. McCoy takes the offered hypo and injects it quickly, the scanners beeping frantically in the background, a panicked soundtrack to the quickly deteriorating man.

"Come on man, stay with me! Shit shit shit shit shit" the beeping abruptly stops.

"Doctor, we lost him!" a tall male nurse calls from the other side of the bed. Jacobs is lying back no the bed, skin rapidly cooling from its earlier fever's heat.

"Get me a defibrillator" another white-clad worker is already there, holding one out.

"Clear!" he calls, shocks the man once…twice…three times. Ensign Jacobs is gone.

"Damn." McCoy puts the paddles down and pushes his hair out of his eyes, panting. "Damn it all. Nurse, I want blood, skin, and tissue samples now. This thing moved way to fast."

"You think it might be a new outbreak, Doctor?"

"I don't know." He feels weary, exhausted. It's something that he's come to expect after losing a patient- a sudden drop in adrenaline combined with some dark part of him that cries "why, why, why". This was not the reason he became a doctor.

"Time of death, 900 hours. Cause of death, unknown…"

Leonard McCoy is in his office, waiting for the results of the tests done on the dead ensign's blood. Nurse Chapel pokes her head in.

"Doctor? I just wanted to let you know. Naagala is, erm, resting. She wouldn't listen to a word I said, either."

"Resting?" he asks hollowly.

"Um, she may have been exposed to a pretty strong sedative. Accidentally, of course."

"Accidentally?"

"Yeah, I was, ah, walking and I kind of tripped and there was this hypo in my hand, and it sort of went into her neck."

A pause.

"I mean, it's a medical bay, so there's loads of hypos everywhere. Totally accidental."

"Yep." McCoy agrees, looking up for the first time, "Sounds like an accident to me." Chapel smiles in sympathetic exhaustion.

"I heard what happened with Jacobs. You want to talk about it?"

"Nope."

"Okay." She leaves. As a fellow doctor, Christine knows that sometimes, when you loose someone, you really just don't want to talk. It was a thing that civilians never seemed to get.

After she goes, McCoy sits and stares into nothing. In his mind, he is analyzing everything that happened: what he did, what the ensign did, what should have been done. It's an exercise that he was taught after he lost his first man. It helps him order his thoughts before writing the report, and allows him to live without the constant pressure of guilt. He is still thinking things over when the technician knocks on the open door.

"Doctor McCoy? Those tests you ordered are finished." He hands over a data PADD and melts away again. McCoy examines the readings carefully, everything seemingly normal until…

"What? No, that can't be!"


	6. In Which There Is Science

A/N not super happy with this one :z

"So what you're telling me is that Ensign Jones, may he rest in peace, died because his own blood turned into _acid_?"

"That's right."

"And this happened how?"

They are in the ready room, trying to take in what Bones is telling them. It's unbelievable. Jim looks around the table and sees varying degrees of astonishment on the faces of his officers. Even Spock has an expression, however subtle. Bones is pacing the room furiously waving his arms around. He had come flying up to the bridge forty minutes earlier, shouting about some Ensign and the flu.

"I explained how Jim, weren't you listening? He was exposed to a strain of Judoon Influenza. It paralyzes the diaphragm, which controls breathing, but does so in increments, so the victim doesn't necessarily suffocate first. It does mean, however, that the blood fills with abnormal amounts of CO2 because the usual gas exchange isn't happening. Eventually the blood becomes so acidic, that it starts to burn the internal tissues. This is a whole-body acidity, so pretty swiftly…it takes out the heart. Or the brain. " He explains swiftly, then falls silent. Kirk can't blame him; it sounded like a pretty gruesome way to die. At the other end of the table, Chekov shivers a little.

"It's horrible, but, Bones, that sounds like an accident. A virus that he was unlucky enough to catch. What makes you think that this was deliberate?" Jim continues cautiously skirting the word 'murder'.

"Here's the thing- Humans can't get Judoon Influenza. The virus targets a certain type of porous skin cell that Humans lack to enter the blood stream. It would have had to be introduced artificially. When I noticed the high CO2 content in the blood, I did some poking around- that's how I was able to discover and identify the virus. After that, I of course ordered an autopsy. It revealed a puncture mark on the back of Jacobs' neck. Definitely a hypo, administered by someone inexperienced. This couldn't have been anything but purposeful, Jim." Uhura covers her mouth with her hands, eyes wide.

Kirk spins in his chair slowly, a hand on the edge of the table, the other cupping his chin.

"Well," he starts and then stops

"Before we lost him," Bones begins tentatively, and Jim knows he won't like what he is about to hear, "Ensign Jacobs said something odd. I thought at the time that it was a hallucination brought on by shock and a high fever, but he had no fever, so he couldn't have been delirious. He said that someone asked him to do something that he felt was a betrayal to you, but he refused, so they broke his leg."

"I though the original fracture was the result of a fall?"

"Me too, at first. But Jacob directly contradicted that. He said that "she" did it to him."

"She…" Jim muses. This is one crazy puzzle, and he has the feeling that he doesn't even have half the pieces yet, let alone be able to connect them.

"Whoever was attempting to blackmail him must be very daring indeed, Captain, to attack a Starfleet officer so grievously. In addition, the ensign's comments regarding betrayal suggest that there is something greater at hand."

"I agree, Spock. There is something else here, and the woman at the center of it all thinks she can pull it off. But, we do know that she's not as solid as she thinks she is."

"How do you know zat?" asks Chekov.

"She must have known what that virus would do to Jacobs, right Bones?"

"It's very likely. It's possible that this was a screwed up attempt to simply incapacitate him, but it's not probable."

"She knows that this guy will die, so she breaks his leg so that he's in medbay when it happens, rather than a random death on-duty that would raise questions. But the mysterious woman was counting on it being mistaken for what we almost thought it was- a fast moving infection from the break. She didn't anticipate Dr. McCoy noticing that something was wrong. So her weakness lies in underestimating us."

They reflect on that for a moment.

"First things first. Bones, who would have access to this kind of virus?"

"Well….the Juddoon."

"Uhura, do we have any delegates from…uh, wherever Judoon come from?"

"Yes Captain. Haven't you been practicing with those flashcards I gave you?" she frowned sternly at him, and Jim felt a twinge of guilt. It _was_ important that he be up-to-date with who was traveling on his ship. But it was a secondary issue now.

"Remind me."

"Humanoid, dark gray, look a bit like rhinos but shorter and on two feet. Cabin 31β."

"Right," he hits the intercom button on the table, connecting him to Security, "Send a team to room 31β and take the delegates there into custody. Handle with extreme caution. Confiscate any hypos or hypo- material that you find." He sits back in his chair.

"We'll take the delegates in and question them- make a note Lieutenant Uhura- if we've got a bit of luck one will rat out the other. Next step contact Starfleet HQ. Let them know that we're having a bit of trouble and are awaiting orders." The others file out, only Spock and Uhura remaining behind.

"Captain, something about this still doesn't sit right with me." Uhura speaks up.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure. The Judoon may have had access to the virus but they are a very rule-motivated people. They believe in order and a strict obeying of law. It's hard to believe that they would step this far out of their cultural code."

"One of my men is dead, Lieutenant. And I will find the person responsible." His voice his hard, but Jim Kirk does not take people messing with his people lightly.

"If it is true that there is a plot against the Captain and the crew of the Enterprise, we cannot afford to hesitate. Risking the lives of those passengers also currently on board this ship is unacceptable. Unless you have concrete backup for your misgivings, I am forced to concur with the Captain." Spock says after a moment's deliberation.

Uhura nods and bites her lip, stepping out of the way. The two senior officers sweep out onto the bridge, and she follows behind to retake her post. Kirk settles into his chair and tries to look stern and in control, but truthfully, he can't shake this nervous feeling either.


	7. In Which An Inquisition Continues

A/N Well done all of you that caught me sliding some Doctor Who in this thing! I needed some cool aliens and I figure space is space, right?

Uhura snaps awake, sitting violently up in bed. Just like the day before, Spock is already awake and meditating, but unlike yesterday, there is no cozy tendril of happiness waiting to greet her. In its place low in her belly is a horrible sense of anxiety and anticipation. She goes about her morning routine, forcing herself to ignore the nasty emotion. It's difficult to keep at bay, but she forces herself to keep pushing it down, pushing it down. It's just a silly human emotion, and it means nothing, she tells herself. The Judoon trio are in custody, and today she will interpret during the investigation, and they will confess, and everything will be fine. Nyota repeats this over and over until she starts to believe it.

She turns to leave, her back to the corridor as she closes the door behind her, and that worry she woke up with has been damped a little, but now there's a new feeling. It's joined the other….it's almost as if she's being _watched_.

"Lieutenant?"

Uhura cries out, half in shock, half as a battle cry, and flips her assailant over her shoulder.

"Ooff!" says Chekov as his back hits the floor.

"Oh! Ohmigod, Pavel, are you okay?" her hands fly up in alarm and surprise, "I am so sorry! I didn't realize it was you!"

"Eets okay. I am fine," the little Ensign coughs weakly. She offers him her hand, "Here, let me help you."

"I heard somebody scream. Is there a problem?" Jim sticks his blonde head out of his quarters. His hair is sticking up in all directions, and he is only wearing one boot and half a shirt (one arm still dangled behind him) but his blue eyes are sharp and on guard.

"Oh, no, Jim. I'm just a bit on edge this morning." Uhura frowns ,"and I did not scream. I yelped. There's a difference."

"Uh-huh. Jim puts his arm in the other sleeve and pulls the shirt over his head, grabs a boot from where it sat, oddly, outside the door, and walks down the hall with Uhura and Pavel, who dusts himself off idly, "Nice karate flip though, Ny. Way to stay in shape."

Forty-five minutes later, the bridge doors slide open and Kirk is all business.

"Alright people, we've got a big day today. Not only do we have the go-ahead from Starfleet to interrogate our suspects in regards to the death of Ensign Jacobs, but we've also been instructed to hold our Wine-and-Dine as per usual," he reminds everyone, voice strong.

"More like a whine-and-dine," mutters Scotty. The concept behind them was that, although diplomats had the ability to schmooze and talk for the duration of the trip, a more organized way of discussing various platforms was needed. It was a stupid thing to call the, but it was catchy enough that it just sort of stuck. Throughout the trip, these small dinners were planned so that everyone would have the chance to speak about what they would bring to the Conference and begin to sway the others to their side. There was one set up for that very day.

"I heard that," chides the Captain, "Lieutenant Uhura, whenever you're ready." She nods and rises from her post, allowing another person to take her place. Together, they head for the door to make the trip down to the brig. As they turn to face the closing door, Kirk's XO stands to take a seat in the Captain's chair and faces them. Uhura is staring at the floor, but she looks up, and Kirk sees their eyes connect across the busy bridge. There is no outward change in either of them, but Kirk is Spock's best friend (regardless of what the Vulcan thinks) and he sees the way that Spock's eyes soften and how the professional young woman beside him leans forward ever so slightly, as if pulled by someone else's gravity. He sees two years of sneaking around campus trying to hide that mutual warmth, and decides that it's stupid that they're sneaking around now. This is his ship, goddammit, and these are his people, and he wants them to be happy.

"That elf still not introduce you to his parents?"

"I've met Sarek and Amanda! Just, not, you know…"

"As his G-I-R-L-F-R-" she hits him on the arm, "Ow, what was that for?"

"You know what you did."

"But seriously!" He's her friend now, not her Captain, and he faces her earnestly, "He needs to tell them! You need to make him tell them!"

"Why? We're doing just fine as we are."

"But this might be one of your last opportunities to do it in person. Who knows when you'll se them again after this trip? Do you really want the first time that you're introduced to the Lady Amanda as Spock's special lady to be on your wedding day?"

Nyota narrows her eyes, and Jim knows that he slipped up, "You're up to something, aren't you?"

"Uh….just your mutual happiness? And I may want to exercise my right as Captain to marry people?" He's saved by the bing notifying them that they've reached the brig. A security officer steps up smartly,

"Captain. We have everything set up in room three."

"Thank you."

"Aye, sir." There are several clear-glass rooms that permitted communication between the prisoners and those outside while keeping them contained. In one, three Judoon sit idle. When one sees Kirk approaching, he pokes the others, and they stand. They're up and yelling through the class before Kirk even gets there. He doesn't understand a word, but Uhura is nodding, and translates quickly.

"Hoho- his name is Hoho- says that they were falsely accused. He says that they just came for the Conference, and demands to be released immediately."

"Well, I'm afraid I can't do that, Hoho. Somebody killed one of my men, and I've got to get to the bottom of this. Where were you when Jacobs 'slipped'?" Uhura repeated it back to the Judoon.

"He's saying that doesn't know who Jaocbs is, and that he's not responsible for any deaths. He also says that…perhaps it's not safe here for them if you can't even keep your own people alive." Kirk bristled.

"We have it on good confidence, Mr. Hoho, that my man was killed by a nasty virus that is native to your people." Inside the cell, the prisoners shake their heads sadly.

"They say that they are very sorry for the man's death, as they know that Judoon flu causes a very bad death for Humans."

"Aha! So you do know what the flu does to us!" Beside him, Uhura makes an odd sound, and then tugs on his sleeve.

"What is it Lieutenant Uhura? Did they say something else?"

"No, I only just realized something. Didn't McCoy say that the Ensign said that a woman broke his leg?"

"Yeah, why?" The Judoon watch the exchange with interest. Jim wonders how much Standard they understood.

"There are no female Judoon. That's what was bothering me so much about this whole thing, and I only just realized. They have no gender."

"Wait, what?"

"By our standards of gender, Judoon only have one, and we identify that as male."

"But Jacobs said she…"

"I know! But he would have associated the Judoon with being male based off of the cues that Humans look for. It couldn't have been the Judoon!"

Kirk turns to look at the three standing in the cell. "Then, who?"

The security officer runs into the room, "Sir! Someone's just identified a foreign object in a Jefferies Tube near the observation deck. Mr. Spock is on route, but the Ensign that reported it thinks it's a bomb!"

Uhura gasps, "The observation deck? That's where everyone's gathered for the Wine-and-Dine!"

Kirk takes off at a run.


	8. In Which Kirk And Spock Make a Good Team

He's running as fast as he can towards the observation deck, hoping that somebody has had the sense to clear the room. There's a sinking feeling that just might be intuition, though, and it says that nobody has. Which means that a room full of incredibly important people that are supposed to be under his care and keeping are currently in the direct path of a possible explosive device. He's lost sense of everything around him; the only thing he feels is panic, and the slow tick-tock of time. Crewmembers fly out of the way, and someone calls for a red alert warning. They're experienced now, and his people know that when a member of the bridge crew goes flying past you it means that something is seriously wrong. A few people join him, following him blindly to wherever he needs them to be and if he had the time, Jim Kirk would reflect on just how loyal his people are.

By the time he reaches the deck, he's picked up five medical staff, six redshirts and a yeoman. They go skidding around the corner at full tilt…and are just a second behind the blast.

The bomb explodes just before they are exposed to the open hallway, and there is enough time to skitter back behind the wall to the protection from the blast that it offers. Kirk waits for his ears to stop ringing, knowing that he'll be of no use if he's not in prime condition to rescue people. Beside him the other crewmembers of the Enterprise are coughing, and one has a chunk of debris stuck in her head. He leaves one member of medical behind to call for backup, and waves the others forward. They follow him cautiously around the corner, which is filled with smoke and particles from the ship's walls, but he blast doesn't seem to have breached the hull, thank all the gods, and as far as he can tell the structure is stable. Still, it was a powerful bomb, and they advance cautiously, the medical tricorders scanning everything for life signs. One of the nurses has just picked up a signal when McCoy arrives, calling through the smokescreen,

"Jim! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I got here just as things got interesting" he yells back, "We've got one injured near the front of the corridor, and we're picking another one up."

"I'm sending in help! Assess the condition of the main room and report back." Kirk can handle taking orders from his CMO in a time like this, and he knows that Leonard's judgment is best when it comes to medical matters. He forges ahead towards the main observation room, and is joined by several no-nonsense technicians with biostrechers.

"Dr. McCoy wants to know if Commander Spock has any more information," one says to him.

"Spock? I thought he was out there. He wasn't with me."

As if drawn by his name, Jim suddenly sees a tall outline making its way through the dust towards them. He's moving slowly, and appears to be carrying someone, but it's Spock all right.

"When did you get here?"

"Two point two zero five seconds before ignition, Captain. If you will excuse me," and he walks right on by. He's back moments later, after depositing his live cargo with McCoy. "The outer hull has not cracked, Captain. Nor have the view screens. The blast was, however, strong enough to collapse one of the service walls, knocking almost everyone present unconscious. I have begun to perform triage."

Together they push their way into the room, and Jim sees that one of the walls has fallen. Thankfully it was an inner-facing one. A medical officer directs him to body after body, people who are alive and stable enough to be moved, and he and Spock carry them out to the crisis center that is being set up rapidly outside. More medical personnel stream into the room, and eventually, after what seems like hours but was only half of one, they get everybody out. The good doctor is flitting around from biobed to biobed, checking the work of the nurses and occasionally taking over for the more serious cases. Reports come in- no deaths, but one is in a medically induced coma. The majority of people were out of the way and are just scratched up, apparently because Spock began evacuating the room just before it blew. Not everyone was clear though, including Spock himself. Jim makes his way across the crowded hall to his friend. The Vulcan is sitting on the edge of a biobed allowing a nurse to wrap his hand. There is another bandage covering his side, and the center of it is tinged green. Beside him stand Amanda and Sarek, and even Sarek looks a little worried.

"Hey," Jim says. Spock says nothing, just looks at him, "How are you fe-" he stops short of saying the f-word (feeling, oh, the horror!). Kirk starts again

"What happened, exactly?" Some of the tension leaves Spock's face. He knows how to deal with facts, and that's what he's being asked for now.

"You and Lieutenant Uhura had been in the brig for twelve point six three minutes," telling incredibly precise time is one of Spock's ways of coping, Jim knows, and takes it as a sign of how shaken his XO is, "when a security officer called the bridge to report his discovery of a foreign object. I was aware of the exercises going on in the area that the officer had described, and thus immediately left to perform further inspection. I decided to evacuate the room as a precaution before you arrived. I entered the main deck and began to direct everyone out when the bomb exploded. It is logical to assume that it malfunctioned, hence the minimal destruction." Spock says it all very clearly.

"And what happened to you?" it's clear that among the injuries, Spock's are among the most severe.

"I calculated the location of the bomb in the Jefferies Tube based on prior information and the results of a brief scan, and positioned myself accordingly."

"You…stood in front of the bomb?"

"In the vernacular, yes. I stood in front of the bomb." Amanda's fingers tense where they are on her son's shoulder. And then something different happens. Amanda looks up at her husband, and Jim sees some silent communication between them, and then Sarek turns to his son.

"Spock." He says softly, and in that word is a thousand things at once, "Your bravery is commendable. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and the actions that you took-"

Sarek is cut off by the loud footsteps of someone in a hurry. Jim recognizes the sound of regulation boots, and looks up, expecting McCoy come to shoo the bothersome worried family away from his injured patient. Kirk opens his mouth to chastise Len for interrupting this beautiful moment, and then shuts it again.

And then opens it again, "Um, I'm just going to…go. See you later, Spock." He peels off as the lieutenant nears.

Uhura's eyes flick back and forth between Spock's face and the bandage that wraps around his bare chest. He is staring steadfastly at her, attention completely pulled away from Kirk and his parents, and even from his vantage point a little ways away Kirk can feel the tension. The only thing that Spock is more single-mindedly devoted to besides the Enterprise, Kirk knows, is the dark-skinned woman standing at parade rest in front of him.

"Lieutenant" he says, and damned if his voice isn't as steady as always.

"Commander," Nyota says crisply, "Might I have a word." It's not a request.

"Of course. Excuse me, mother, father." They are the picture of professionalism. He probably doesn't even realize that he's addressed his father this way, thinks Kirk. Spock slides off the bed as if he did not just take the full brunt of an explosive device and follows Uhura to a corner of the in-the-field medical center.

Amanda cranes her neck, trying to get a look of the couple. She grabs Sarek's arm excitedly,

"Did you see that?"

"Of course, as I am capable of sight."

"Oh, hush. You know what I mean. Our son just walked out of here like he would follow that woman to the ends of the Neutral Zone. I knew there was something going on with them!"

"You are drawing conclusions based upon insufficient evidence."

"Shh! Can you hear what they're saying?" Uhura and Spock are facing each other across the hall. She is speaking, gesturing with her hands. Spock looks down at her, face impassive as always, but his fingers twitch at his sides. He nods once, twice, and then said something. It's nearly impossible to hear over the chatter, but Amanda thinks she catches a whiff of Vulcan. So they don't want their crewmembers to over hear them...

She's not sure if they realize it, but the couple sway towards each other, each leaning forward just enough to bring them closer together. There is a pause in the conversation, and Amanda squints to see if she can tell what's happening. Uhura lifts her arms toward Spock and-

A rather large alien crosses her line of sight, obscuring her view.

"No!"

He walks past, but by the time she can see again, Spock is walking back to the biobed and Uhura is just a ponytail in the distance. Amanda forces a smile, annoyed at being thwarted.

"So what did Lieutenant Uhura want, darling?"

Nyota brushes her hair out of her eyes as she heads back to the bridge. It's hard leaving Spock here, but she has to report, and she's satisfied now that he's at least mostly okay. Before, when she was getting reports from all over the ship, it was crazy unbearable waiting for an opportunity to go see him and make sure he was safe. She was hearing some pretty scary reports. She thinks over their brief conversation.

"Are you alright?"

"I have sustained multiple injuries in varying severity, as well as a large penetrative wound between the third and fifth rib."

"Oh, god, don't tell me that!"

"I will be alright, Nyota." He wanted to touch her so badly. She could see it in his eyes, she could feel his desire to link with her and reassure her in the way that he leaned in. They both crave the mental link that his species can provide them, and take pleasure in being able to share thoughts so completely. During the workday they have to maintain a veneer of professionalism, and often the promise of linking is the only thing that keeps her going through a long shift. The hallway was crowded, and filled with diplomats including Spock's parents, and she knew that they couldn't. But it was so tempting, and he looked at her with chocolate eyes that make her melt, and he really scared her today. Nyota knows that he can't help his heroism complex, but that he's been trying to stay safe after their conversation about his death wish, and that this was not intentional. She could see how much he regretted having to cause her worry.

She reached up toward him and he bent down to her touch. She placed her hands on each side of his face and pulled him down just a little farther, touching her lips gently to his. He slid a hand around to cup her elbow and increased the pressure slightly, then pulled away.

"I should return."

"Yeah, me too. Let Len take care of you, okay?" She smiled and left, beginning the trek up to the bridge to report the day's events to Starfleet.


	9. In Which Sarek Says Some Hard Things

A/N I know that I haven't updated in a few days, and I'm super sorry. I was in New York, and didn't have any internet access! Hopefully this chapter will brighten your day.

Leonard McCoy is not happy. He's happy more often than he lets on, because pretending to be grumpy makes him happy, but right now he is genuinely stormy. The triage area is packed with patients, and while none of them are seriously injured, they all want his attention and are being as annoying as they possibly can. Don't they see he's got bigger issues than a little splinter, or being thirsty? That's what nurses are for.

The only consolation is that his people are doing exactly what they're supposed to. McCoy only takes the best, and right now, he has the best. Chapel is delegating people off before their complaints even reach him so he's only getting the most important issues, but it's still a nightmare. He's got a diplomat in a coma (that's an interplanetary thorn bush), three people have debris wounds that will take hours of painstakingly precise surgery to clean out, and the first officer has a gaping great hole in his side. To add to it all, that same first officer has decided that he is well enough to be up and walking around, which Len most definitely did not authorize. He clears the screen of the patient's chart that he's examining and waves a tech over.

"I want this woman on a clear liquids diet, get her an IV with 70/30 salt to distilled water." He does not wait to see if the ensign obeys his command, just strides off to where His Royal Highness has deigned to sit back down.

"Spock! Just what do you think you're doing?" The Vulcan has the gall to raise an eyebrow at him, like he doesn't know what the CMO is talking about. "Who told you that you could be up and running? Do you _want_ to pop those stiches?"

"Such a desire would be illogical, Doctor."

"So tell me why you're acting like you didn't just take the full force of an exploding metal ship wall through two ribs and a liver? Dammit man, we've got to keep your heart rate low if you don't want to bleed out. Don't pretend like you don't know that things can rupture like nobody's business if you're not careful." He pushes on Spock's shoulders, forcing him to lay back on the bed, muttering about stubborn Vulcans.

"Spock, you really should listen to the doctor! Surely Lieutenant Uhura could have spoken to you here." Amanda, to her credit, is holding up extremely well considering that Dr. McCoy has just loudly announced that her son is in danger of bleeding to death. McCoy, his face turned away from Spock's parents as he examines the dressings, gives the man in question a significant look at Uhura's name.

"Yeah Spock, why didn't Uhura just talk to you here in front of your parents and God and everybody?"

Spock looks distinctly uncomfortable.

"I have no knowledge of the Lieutenant's motives. I assume based on the evidence provided that she wished for a more private setting. To answer your earlier question, Mother, she was inquiring as to my health." Not, strictly speaking, a lie.

"How long do you anticipate recovery will take, Doctor?" Surprisingly, the question comes from Sarek.

McCoy is scanning the wound gently, "Hard to say. If these stitches hold and the internal bleeding doesn't turn out to be any worse than my preliminary scans suggest, we can have him up and about in three days, full recovery in three weeks. Spock heals a darn sight faster than anyone else on this ship, but he can't bounce back quite like a full Vulcan."

There are shouts from the other side of the atrium. Leonard looks up sharply, and can see Chapel attempting to placate some half-bat-half-humanoid alien who has risen from his biobed and is shaking his talon-hands threateningly.

"Uh-oh. Looks like we've got trouble. You're fine for now Spock, but I'll be back in a couple of hours to check for signs of infection. I need you to stay here, keep resting, keep drinking fluids. If you cause any trouble at all, try to pull any Jim-ish sort of stunt, I will have you hooked up to an IV and on oxygen supplements faster than a knife fight in a phone booth, got it?" He stomps off, waving his arms and working up a wrath that could scare off a thundercloud.

There is a quiet, astonished pause as Amanda and Sarek acquaint themselves with the true curmudgeon of Leonard McCoy and then Amanda says, "What's a phone booth?"

"I am uncertain."

Sarek feels, yes, _feels_, uncomfortable. His only child is laying prone on a hospital bed, and although he is expected to make a full recovery in an astonishingly short amount of time, he could have died today. This is unacceptable. Over the past hour, Sarek of Vulcan has been slowly reopening the familial link between himself and his son that was ignored and neglected long ago. He wishes to feel Spock's pain. He is attempting to do it slowly, so that his son will not notice until after Sarek has peeked at the lower, subconscious information that will inform him as to the true nature of Spock's injuries. This wish for Spock to be unaware is illogical; it would be much faster to simply ask for the information that Sarek wants to know, but the truth is that he is not certain that his son will tell him. This is what's making Sarek so uncomfortable.

How did this come to be? How did it come to pass that he was now so distant from the child that he and Amanda had worked so hard for? Years of testing and experiments and engineering so that they could conceive, the exquisite joy of watching his wife finally grow round with a fetus that she could carry to full term, a fetus that became a baby with tiny pointed ears- how did it culminate in this moment? It would be illogical not to attempt reconciliation.

"Spock," he lays his hand down on the part of his son that is closest to him- his ankle, just above the boot. It is an uncharacteristically emotional thing for a Vulcan to do, making physical contact this way, but Amanda has counseled him on the occasional need for obvious signs of reassurance and Sarek thinks that perhaps it will help to make his intentions clear. He can't think of what to say next, and almost stalls there, but his k'diwa, his light is looking at him with a spark of hope in her eyes, and he finds the words.

"Your service in Starfleet is a most admirable thing," There, that's a good place to start, "You saved many lives today in the course of your duty, and you have saved countless others in the past. This, I am proud of." He halts again, for longer this time. Saying these things is hard and does not come naturally to him. How odd that the simple act of speech should be made difficult by the import.

"I do not understand, Ambassador. Please clarify." Sarek thinks he detects a tendril of confusion from the link.

"I know that I have not often approved of your choices. Perhaps I was too attached to the idea of another path that you could take. Several weeks ago I saw the illogic in my actions- you had chosen the course that you deemed best, and my opinions would not change that fact," Amanda is beaming at him, a sheen of happiness glistening over her eyes. Sarek decides it would be wise to steer back into firmer territory,

"In addition, it would be illogical for Starfleet not to have a representative from one of most influential members of the Federation, and I know of no other that could fill that position so well."

"But, Sarek" Amanda burst out, "Why didn't you just say so? Why did you keep trying to convince Spock to leave Starfleet?"

He is taken aback, "Leave Starfleet? I intended no such thing."

"You impressed upon me several times the opportunities and superiority the New Vulcan Science Academy has over my current post." Now Sarek senses bewilderment, and a tinge of apprehension.

"I merely wanted to inform all present as to the increasingly positive status of the colonization efforts on New Vulcan. I did not intend my words to sway you away from Starfleet. Indeed, to have achieved the rank of Commander in such short years is an accomplishment that should not be forgotten lightly."

"Oh! Is that why you kept calling our son 'the Commander' all the time?"

Sarek is very uncomfortable. Clearly he has not been as transparent as he believed, and there is much confusion as to his intentions. "Yes. I did not intend to be impersonal or to slight Spock, as I now understand you may have believed. It seemed logical, at the time, to emphasize his rank as a way of recognizing the hard work that went into earning it."

"I am much gratified….Father. I did think that you continued to disapprove of my life here."

"You boys are so silly!" Amanda exclaims, "If only you'd just _talk_ to each other once in a while, instead of dancing around every little issue! We could have been having a nice time as a family instead of all this arguing!"

"I do not argue, Mother." Spock raises both eyebrows incredulously, "Nor do I dance."

"Nor I." Sarek pipes up with an identical expression.

Amanda throws her hands up in exasperation and stalks off.

"She is a very illogical woman." his son says, watching his mother go.

"I concur."


	10. In Which Kirk is Confused

A/N Second to last chapter!I'm wrapping this thing up.

It would be a crime not to enjoy the few moments of silence that they're finally having. Everyone knew that this trip wasn't going to be easy what with the typically spoiled nature of interplanetary diplomats, but this has been off the charts. Death and bombs and sneaking kisses behind the backs of harsh fathers! It feels like a soap opera. Uhura can't help but luxuriate in the sudden quiet on the bridge. She's back in her element, with the static constantly being broadcast through the cosmos the only thing ringing through the com, and the rhythmic beep and flash of her console lights providing a background beat. Sulu is at the helm, Kirk is staring moodily into the distance with unfocused eyes that suggest he is deep in thought, and every so often they get a call from Len updating them on the events below deck. He's moved the more serious cases back to medbay, and told everyone else to bugger off. Scotty's redshirts are crawling all over the blast site patching things up.

Uhura sighs and settles back in her seat. It's an odd transition to make- from the adrenaline and intensity of a combat situation to this sudden malaise with everyone at-ease. It's the kind of flip that soldiers in active combat zones had to deal with constantly, and Nyota thinks she can understand why old-world wars were never very efficient, yet always had high casualty tolls.

She's musing on this when Chekov bursts through the doors.

"Keptin! Keptin! Look!" He is clutching a blackened rectangular object that ashes are drifting softly from.

Kirk is out of the chair in an instance, using his long legs to propel himself forward swiftly.

"Meester Scott found eet in the wall! He sent me to give eet to you."

"What is it?"

"The bomb, sir!" Everyone abandons their posts and gather around the couple with the odd object.

"Set it down. Here, here." Kirk pushes aside some papers and rests the ugly thing on his chair, "It's disabled, right?"

Chekov looks offended, "Of course, Keptin. Meester Scott would not have sent it if he did not know it was dead."

Kirk pokes it gently with a stylus, "Did he say anything about it?"

"No sir."

The com crackles to life, "Captain? Yeh there?"

"Kirk here."

"What about the lad?"

"Yes, and he's brought something interesting with him. What can you tell us Scotty?"

"Well, it's the explosive alright, sir. Pretty basic, easy to make if ye have a little training with fuses and the like. Looks like something caught on the hammer though, so it didn't go off with as big as a bang as it might have. Rookie mistake- there was something lodged in front of the timer pin that jammed it a bit."

"Set on a timer, then?"

"Yes. Somebody knew what he or she was doing; they set this to go off right during the Wine-and-Dine. If my man hadn't seen this thing…"

"Yeah…" Jim muses, "by the time Uhura caught that Judoon thing….damn, that's going to be a pain to deal with."

Uhura catches the bleep-bip! of the subspace notification and rushes back to the console.

"Captain, we're being hailed! Terra station markings."

"Patch them through." She does so.

"Captain Kirk." It's the High Admiral, "What are you doing?"

Kirk shoves the bomb to the side and quickly plops down in the seat, "Admiral, sir. We have just recovered the explosive device."

"I see. And what have you learnt?"

"Ah…not much. Not yet."

"I see," the admiral frowns, "There's some deep shit that's about to go down, Kirk. I'm getting calls."

"Yes sir, of course. We're doing our best to keep a handle on this thing- our best people are working on figuring out who did this, day and night."

"Kirk, I want you to forget about the bomb."

"Sir?"

"It doesn't matter right now. What's done is done, and for now Starfleet has bigger issues. Your main task is to get those aliens here. In one piece. You said you could handle this."

"I know, and I will, but sir, whoever set this thing could still be on board! I respectfully request that I be allowed to pursue this!"

"I said no. We will get to the bottom of it, but for now it is not your priority. What does need to happen is that I need to be able to say to the Federation higher-ups that their people are in good hands. Do you understand?"

Kirk is chewing on his lip, and Uhura knows that that's a sign that he's going to fight, "But, sir-"

"Do you understand," This time not a question.

"Yes." Kirk says reluctantly, "But let the record reflect that I object, sir."

"That's nice." The admiral signs off.

"Argggg! How am I supposed to- how can anyone even- why do they think-ahhhhh!" Kirk throws his hands in the air in exasperation.

"Keptin?"

"Yeah, Chekov, what is it?"

"Vat ees this?" Everyone turns to the young man's inquisitive voice. He is holding a thin, opaque sliver of something. He hands it to Kirk, who peers at it and then shrugs, passing it to Sulu. Sulu taps it gently.

"Some kind of plastic?" It is circled around the bridge, with each person examining it and adding a few speculations before giving up. Uhura receives it next.

"Oh!"

"What, what is it?"

She holds it up under the light, "It's an acrylic nail."

"A what?"

"A false fingernail. Horrible things, I don't wear them, but I know some women that do. They stick on to your natural nail, and make it look longer and more manicured."

"What the heck?" Kirk is positively befuddled, "Where did you find it, Pavel?"

"Eet was on the floor by the door, Keptin. I think eet came out of the bomb."

"Maybe it was the thing that Scott said was caught behind the hammer?" Sulu postulates.

"Yeah," Kirk muses. An idea occurs to him, "Uhura, how do these things stick on?"

She points out the slightly whiter base. "This part has some glue, and you push it down over the nail bed. Then you seal the rest of it on. Thousands of years and they still haven't come up with a better way to do it."

"Uh-huh." She hands it back to Kirk.

"Keptin, shouldn't we work to make sure all of the diplomats are happy, like the Admiral says?"

"Are you kidding me, no. We're not actually going to listen to the admiralty; I just said that we would so that that tosser would leave us alone. I have a dead man, and I'm going to find out who killed him before I go schmooze with a bunch of delicate peach blossoms that call themselves diplomats. Besides, Spock's in medbay right now. He's smoothing things over."

"Commander Spock is unconscious, sir."

"Thank god, there's nothing more useless at diplomacy than a Vulcan that's up and kicking. No, he'll do a good job if he just lays there and looks fragile for a little bit."

Uhura rolls her eyes at Kirk's good-natured wit. He's still turning the nail this way and that.

"Wait a minute, Uhura, you said that it sticks to the skin?"

"Yeah."

He's out of his seat in an instant, "Come with me. Chekov, you have the comm." He bounds to the turbolift, and Uhura follows him, confused.

"What is it Jim?"

"DNA."

"What?"

"DNA! It's an old science, I saw it used in a vintage detective holo once. They used to use it all the time, in the old days, what you do is you get a bit of someone's DNA, and you run it through a machine that matches it with someone else's DNA, and you see if they're the same. I'm sure Bones will be able to figure it out!"

"A detective holovid, sir? Is that really what we're going off of?"

"Trust me."

They walk quickly past the biobeds, straight to Bones' office. Jim bursts through without knocking.

"Jim! What is it?"

"Chekov found this!" He holds out the acrylic. Leonard takes it with a bemused expression.

"A lady's beauty product?"

"It was stuck inside the bomb. That's why it malfunctioned! Which means that _this_ came off whoever was building that thing. I thought that you could pull DNA or something."

"I can try. That's pretty old tech."

"Wait a minute. Will we even have something to compare it to?" Uhura interjects.

Len nods, "Everyone in Starfleet submits a blood sample when they enlist, for health purposes. We have records for everyone on this ship."

"Do it." Kirk commands. Len looks up from his examination with a smile, "Aye, sir."

The process takes an hour and a half, far longer than Uhura thinks Kirk anticipated. He jiggles one leg, and then the other, then crosses them, then uncrosses his arms, then spins around in the wheelie chair.

"Goddamnit Jim, hold still would you?" Len barks without looking up from his paperwork.

"Can't you make it go faster?"

"No, I can't, and your whining won't help either." At long last the machine bleeps its completion of the scan. McCoy walks calmly over, Jim following behind like a puppy, Uhura bringing up the rear. She's nervous, and curious. Will this old technology really work?

"Here we go." The doctor announces, pulling up the data. "This is she."

"Who is it? Where is she?"

"I have here an 88% match to a one Lieutenant Jadzia Jones. Human, engineering." He looks up and turns the PADD around for Jim. A pretty blonde woman smiles at them from the holo. She's in dress uniform, her long hands folded on her lap. Each finger is adorned with a long, beautiful fingernail.

"Those are fake, alright," Uhura notes.

Jim clutches the PADD. His eyes are stormy with fury, his jaw set in a hard line, "We got her. Now let's bring her in."

extra edit: Apparently the name Jadzia was that of a Deep Space Nine character. I know it sounds like a crazy weird coincidence, but I had no idea that that was the case, the name was chosen completely randomly- I don't even watch DS9, cause I like the classic TOS. I wanted a J name and used a baby naming website to find one that sounded kind of harsh. The reference was absolutely not intended.


	11. In Which There Is a Confrontation

It only takes a quick search to locate the Lieutenant, and a few extra minutes to call up to the bridge and notify them as to the situation. A security team meets them in the hall, along with Chekov and Sulu who "want to get this traitor as much as the rest of you." Jim leads the hell-fire fueled hurricane down to the engineering deck, his mind churning. This will require some delicacy- they have to nab Jadzia before she realizes that they've caught on, but at the same time he wants to provoke a confrontation. Partly because he wants to teach her a lesson about messing with his crew, but also because a confession would be nice and he has the sense that they won't get one once she's in custody. Kirk makes his decision.

"Okay, here's how we're going to do this. I'll go in, alone, with security and Bones behind me but hanging back. I want her to think that I'm alone. Meanwhile, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, you'll go around behind so that if she tries to run, you can grab her. You will remain hidden. You will not make a sound. Got it?"

A chorus of "yes, sir"s.

"Excellent."

They descend through the depths of the ship until they reach her belly. Engineering is well lit and white, just like the rest of the Enterprise. There's more smoke, more grease, but otherwise it is very similar to the less-grubby decks. It's also very open, making it hard for the rest of the party to find places to hide themselves. They walk quickly, quietly, until they catch sight of the console where Jadzia works. Jim and security peel off, Bones following swiftly behind, and Jim knows that behind him, Uhura and the others are tucking themselves behind the supporting struts.

Kirk maneuvers so that he is approaching from directly in front of Jadzia. He wants her to see him coming. And see him she does.

"Captain." She stands and has the audacity to salute, concealing her treachery behind a façade of obedience. The corners of Jim's vision blacken.

"Lieutenant Jones. Why don't you tell me about what happened up on the observation deck."

She pretends to be confused, "Sir?"

"Don't be stupid Jones. I know it was you that planted that bomb. And I know that you tried to bribe Ensign Jacobs to do your dirty work for you and when he refused, you killed him too, and tried to frame the Judoon while doing it. The only thing that I don't know is how you got ahold of the virus that you infected him with."

Jadzia looks around nervously, "Where's your security team, Captain?"

"No security. You think I'm dumb enough to let my crew know that one of my own people has been working against me? There would be a mutiny faster than it takes to jump to wrap."

The woman bites off a bitter laugh, "That's for sure. You are many things, but you aren't dumb, Captain."

"Thanks. So how'd you do it?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"I've got you, Jadzia. Let's be honest with each other. There is no escape from here; I can prove everything. The least you can do is tell me how you did what you did, make a clean wrap of things." He knows that people of her type are just dying to tell the whole world about their deeds. If he can push her enough, she'll spill it all.

"It wasn't hard." There is a glimmer of something dark in Jadzia's eyes. She's not looking at Kirk anymore, but gazing over his head, a manic smile blossoming on her beautiful face, and Jim knows that he's done it. "I broke into the med bay. Doctor McCoy had a vaccine right there, already in a hypo and everything. It was so easy"

From behind a pillar, Uhura feels a tap on her shoulder. She whirls around.

"Commander!"

Spock is standing there, supported on either side by his mother and father. He's deathly pale, but doesn't seem to be leaning too heavily on either one of them.

"Lieutenant Uhura. I heard about the apprehension and came to enquire if my assistance was needed."

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Sir." She adds hastily, "Didn't you just get out of surgery?"

"Indeed. However, I am capable of returning to duty."

"Don't listen to him," Amanda whispers, "He just didn't want to miss out on the action."

In front of them, Kirk is raising his voice, and Uhura turns back.

"Shhh. Stay quiet."

"So you took McCoy's medical equipment, and pushed Jacobs down the stairs to give him time to die."

"That's right."

"What about the bomb?"

"That was easy too." She shrugs, "I made it myself. You'd be surprised how much information you can get about explosives by asking a few careful questions of that idiot Scotsman. Even the explosives weren't hard to get."

"Not as easy as you claim. You messed up, because the bomb didn't take anyone out."

She clucks her tough, "I know. So frustrating, am I right? It would have worked though, if that half-breed first officer of yours hadn't saved the rest of those space wastes."

"Space waste?"

"You can't be serious Captain. The delegates! Thinking that they can come to our planet and boss Humans around? No way. What's hilarious is that they don't realize what a mess they all are. Always arguing, always acting like they matter. Humans should take over as is our right, and have done with the whole thing. We would make everything so much more organized, so much _better_."

Kirk's throat tightens. So she's one of those. "You called Mr. Spock a half-breed." He winces, remembering a time not so long ago when he used those same words against his friend.

"Yeah." Jadzia sneers, "Vulcans are the worst of them all. Acting as if they're Human, marrying Humans…and you give the esteemed first officer position to one of them? I couldn't let that happen, Captain. I have nothing against you, but your Vulcan pet I can't handle. No, not Spock and Sarek, and their shameful, dirty Human women…"

James is furious now, but before he can react Uhura comes out from her hiding place. She crosses the floor in a few angry steps, and Jadiza turns towards the sound.

Uhura punches her straight across the jaw.

Everyone else appears from their hiding places in the pandemonium. Jadiza falls backwards, unconscious, into Kirk, who breaks her fall. A security officer snaps a pair of handcuffs on the woman, and Leonard runs forward to check Uhura's hand. Spock limps out more slowly, with his parents.

"Nyota!"

He almost sounds surprised. Everyone freezes and turns to them.

"Ow! Jeez, that hurt more than I expected." Uhura shakes her hand, "Sorry Spock." She twists her mouth into a resigned frown, "Nobody calls _me_ dirty."

A little shriek turns everyone towards Amanda. Her hands are over her mouth, and her eyes are wide, "I knew it! Sarek, tell them that I called this! I knew you were seeing each other! Oh, _Spock!_" She throws herself on Uhura, wrapping her arms around the other woman's neck in a tight hug, "Oh, this is going to be wonderful!"

Jim watches Sarek, who seems as emotionless as always. But he and Spock have identical green tinges in their ears, and he sees a little glance at each other that makes him think that maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay.

Jim Kirk is laughing, but he's pretty sure that he's not as happy as his unsmiling first officer. Lady Amanda has not left Lieutenant Uhura's side since the latter accidentally revealed her relationship with the former's son, and the two have been giggling and throwing glances in the direction of their boys for at least half an hour. The boys themselves are sitting bolt upright as Vulcans always do, studiously ignoring the whispers. They are all sitting in the main officers' lounge, and are supposed to be debriefing. The meeting has pretty much collapsed by this point though. Sulu and Chekov are in a corner, cooing over something in a flowerpot, with the occasional bark drifting over. Jim and Len are sitting together, observing the others.

"So it was just old-fashioned racism?"

"Yep." Jim turns to his friend, "She decided she'd had enough of interplanetary diplomacy and peace, I guess. Thought that Humans should run the whole universe."

Len scoffs, "Yeah, like that'd work out. So she planted the bomb to blow up all of the delegates so that they couldn't come to the Conference?"

"Uh-huh. And now Ms. Jadzia Jones is going to rot in a labor prison on some far-off asteroid for fifteen to twenty years."

They muse on this for a moment.

"How're Spock's injuries, really?"

"Not terrible. I did not appreciate his little stunt, but the stitches are still in and I don't think that recovery will take that long."

"Good. We've got a busy few months ahead."

He catches the eye of the man in question, and raises his cup in silent toast. The Vulcan nods solemnly back, and then turns back to his father.

Yeah, Captain James T. Kirk is going to need all the help he can get.

A/N Wow, so this is it! Thank you to everybody that has kept up with the story; I hope that I delivered what you were looking for. This story ended up being so so different from what I had planned, but I guess that that's part of the fun. I will be working on some other things, but don't expect them for a couple of weeks- I'm going on vacation and won't have the time to upload. Thank you all again, so much.


End file.
